With the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, it's a day to celebrate a major milestorne in progress toward equal rights in America. From this day forward, the argument for GLBT rights becomes: if we have the right to serve and die for our country, why shouldn't we have equal rights in all other departments of life, including the right to marry, and non-discrimination in employment, housing, and schooling.

It is a day to celebrate, as Aung San Suu Kyi, the "Nelson Mandela" of Burma, has been released from almost two decades of house arrest. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been an exemplar of nonviolent, transformative social change, who has suffered greatly for the cause of freedom and democracy in her country.

Two videos are posted below. One is of the cheering and dancing crowds around her home as she emerged from house arrest earlier today, so that we may share in their moment of joy. The second video (a re-post on this site) is from an interview with Suu Kyi, explaining the reasons she values nonviolent means of social change.

Here is a video of incredibly brave Fort Worth, Texas City Council Member Joel Burns, speaking to teens and adults in his community, and the nation, about his own experiences of being bullied for being different, and his tale of how it got better.

For more on the "It Gets Better" project, see below. The Trevor Project, mentioned in the video, is a national 24-hour, toll-free confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth.

One of the best responses to emerge is the "It Gets Better Project," already in the works before the recent news. The project, now on YouTube and Facebook, provides an opportunity for LGBTQ youth, adults, and allies to post messages of support to young people who are bullied and tortured for their difference from the norm. The simple message, "it gets better," lets young people know that especially after high school, when one's personal choices expand, it's possible to make or find a better life for oneself, where one is accepted and celebrated.

Here is an "It Gets Better" video from San Francisco activists:

Monday, May 31, 2010

Attack on Humanitarianism Highlights Need for Change in US and Israeli Policy

The Elders, a group of global leaders founded in 2007 by Nelson Mandela, has condemned the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla as "completely inexcusable." I don't have much to add to that assessment of the events of the last 24 hours, except to say that I hope this strengthens the hand of those in Israel who see that the time of occupation and blockade of Palestinian territories must now come to an end, and that a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with a two-state solution, is the only way to end increasing Israeli isolation and bring justice and peace to the region.

I don't support a boycott of Israel as a means of pressuring it toward negotiations, because that is the same sort of collective punishment involved in the Israeli blockade of Gaza. But, United States military aid to Israel should be made contingent on progress toward peace. US taxpayer dollars indirectly funded yesterday's assault on global humanitarianism, and implicit unconditional support of intransigent Israeli military policy must be reversed. Enabling one's friends to do wrong is not helping them. US military assistance to Israel, without conditions, decreases Israel's security in the long run by preventing the necessity of a negotiated peace.

Harvey Milk, the gay civil rights activist assassinated in 1978, would have turned 80 years old today. Milk, the first openly gay elected public official in the United States, had an expansive view of civil and human rights, advocating for the "us's," all those whose rights are forgotten, denied, or destroyed. Milk's famous "hope" speech, in which he talks about the role of hope in sustaining the rights of "us's" everywhere, is excerpted in the video below.

A fitting way to celebrate Milk's birthday is to send support to Steven Monjez and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, a gay couple in Malawi sentenced on May 20 to 14 years in prison for the "crime" of "unnatural practices between males and gross public indecency," brought to the government's attention when they held a traditional party to celebrate their engagement. Amnesty International has declared the couple "prisoners of conscience," and has called for their immediate and unconditional release. For more information on the couple's plight, and what you can do to help, see the "Free Malawians Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga"Facebook page.

America is a republic, not a homeland. The first measure of good public policy involves ensuring that it doesn't trample on the rights or dignity of people, either as citizens or as human beings, including both constitutional rights and human rights. If we paid more attention to global economic justice, we wouldn't have to worry so much about our borders, since desparate economic conditions in many countries to our south wouldn't be driving so many people to seek work in the United States.

The degrading nature of having to present an ID simply in order to live in a given state without getting arrested was explained most eloquently by Archbisop Desmond Tutu in yesterday's Huffington Post. Tutu speaks from experience, having lived under that kind of regime in South Africa during the apartheid period: "Abominations such as apartheid do not start with an entire population suddenly becoming inhumane. They start here. They start with generalizing unwanted characteristics across an entire segment of a population. They start with trying to solve a problem by asserting superior force over a population. They start with stripping people of rights and dignity - such as the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty - that you yourself enjoy. Not because it is right, but because you can. And because somehow, you think this is going to solve a problem."

Photo: Brown Pelican, one of 400 species at risk in the BP oil spill area
Photo and caption source: CNN.

Monday, March 1, 2010

For

For universal healthcare in America.
For democracy in Iran.
For the independence of Palestine and peace for Israel.
For the liberation of Tibet.
For an end to the killing in Darfur.
For the "greater jihad" (of the heart over the sword) in Islam.
For a sustainable, just and green global economy.
For healing and debt relief for Haiti.
For the revival of indigenous wisdom (everywhere).
For GLBTQ equality, respect and inclusion.
For global civil society, democracy and peace.
For an end to racism, sexism and speciesism.
For the preservation of the rainforests, the polar icecaps, the oceans and the earth.
For the celebration of life and the liberation of the spirit.
For inner peace in each person and shared peace among the persons of the world.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Moment of Defiant Inspiration: Poet Lucille Clifton

Monday, November 16, 2009

Ten-Year Old Refuses to Say Pledge of Allegiance Until There is Liberty and Justice for All

When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives at the UN in New York this Wednesday, he will be met by thousands of demonstrators protesting the legitimacy of his election, and for greater democracy and human rights, most specifically for women, in Iran.

In his highly nationalistic, theologically-centered worldview, it does not make sense to Mr. Ahmadinejad that the same movement that protests for greater democracy in Iran also protests against the war in Iraq and for Palestinian statehood. It is the same movement that brought down apartheid in South Africa, works for the liberation of Tibet, thought George Bush stole the 2000 election, and helped bring about the presidency of Barack Obama. What he will see--or, more likely, avoid--on the streets of New York are simply the counterparts of the movement that he faces on the streets of Tehran.

The part of his analysis that Mr. Ahmadinejad has right is that those in this movement do indeed seek a "soft revolution," not just in his country, but throughout the world, created through nonviolent means and philosophies, and inspired by those like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Aung San Suu Kyi, aimed at the goals of universal human rights, democracy, social justice, and peace. It is a different sort of threat to his regime than he imagines, but no less real.

As a little boy, I had a print of the image above mixed among my childhood belongings, and my childhood faith. For me, and for millions of others, the Kennedy brothers represented not only idealism and a commitment to hope, social justice, civil rights, and peace, but also a certain ideal of family dedication and loyalty.

Teddy Kennedy was one of those rare public figures who held a special kind of moral center. He made the ideal seem obvious. He was a champion of the poor, the powerless, and those who were denied rights. What greater tribute can be made of any politician--or person?

An email circulating this morning states, "In lieu of flowers, pass health care reform." That's a good start. But, Teddy Kennedy's passing is also a reminder to rededicate ourselves to family and friends, to those who have less rights and privileges than we do, to the common good, and to dreams of a better world.

Video: Ted Kennedy's powerful endorsement of Barack Obama

Saturday, June 27, 2009

We are the Worldby Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie

There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

Tehran University students hold banners protesting police presence on their campus, June 15, 2009. Image Source: Los Angeles Times

Send them your heart
So they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

I've heard that there may be some university students in Tehran and others in Iran reading this blog. No one from so far away and in great safety can say to another that they should risk their lives, even in a just cause like yours. It is up to you to decide what is best for you, your families, and your country. There is no certainty as to what will happen tomorrow and in the coming days, or whether the risks you may take will bring the liberation and rights that you seek in the short run.

A year ago, many people doubted that it would be possible for America to elect a black president. But, it was accomplished. Now, you are the voices of hope and of change. Whatever happens, know that we are watching very closely, and there will be public demonstrations for you here as well.

What so many of us in America and around the world want you to know is that our hearts are with you, and we are with you in spirit. You are the face of history today.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Whole World is Watching Iran: Calls to Action

As Iranian pro-democracy demonstrations continue, calls from within and outside the country are being made for global support for the peaceful protests. Iranian Artists in Exile's "Open Letter to the People of the World" (see YouTube below) is particularly powerful.

A couple of simple actions you can take:

(1) Click here or on Amnesty International (AI) USA logo below to sign an AI-sponsored email to Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, Iran's "Supreme Leader," urging him to "ensure that security agents will exercise restraint in the use of lethal force to respond to protests, and to refrain from beating people for exercising their right to freedom of expression and association."

(2) Click here or on Center for the Study of Strategic Nonviolent Defense logo below to sign a petition calling on the United Nations to demand that Iran:

End infringements on the freedom of speech, press and assembly;

Withdraw security forces from public spaces and prosecute militias who attack nonviolent protesters;

Release journalists, demonstrators, and politicians without charge;

End all restrictions on media sources, restore cellular telephone and texting capacities, and access to social networking sites, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Allow a UN-led investigation into the conduct of the recent election.

If you know of a website or wiki that is coordinating protests in support of Iranian democracy, please email me at joel@topia.net, and I will post them here.

As American-world victims of Bush v. Gore 2000, it's easy for us all to identify with those on the streets of Iran today, protesting what certainly looks like a stolen election (see Juan Cole's June 13 blog for a concise analysis of the election results).

According to some estimates (see video below), Iran has the third largest number of bloggers of any nation, many of them young people speaking out anonymously for greater freedoms and human rights in their country. These blogs and tweets, like the demonstrations these past days in the streets, tell the world that a different Iran than the ruling regime imposes is impatiently beginning to emerge.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is "in desperate need of proper medical treatment," according to Burma's National League for Democracy. The international campaign to release the democratically elected leader of Burma, a champion of nonviolence, has kicked into high gear over the past weeks, since her new arrest and trial by the Burmese military government. A new organization, 64forsuu.com, has been formed to coordinate appeals for her release from around the world.

Below is a video of Aung San Suu Kyi, explaining the Burmese pro-democracy movement's commitment to nonviolence:

California Court: Marriage is a Right, Just Not Significant Enough to Uphold for Everyone

One of the basic reasons we have a constitution and the rule of law is to protect the rights of the minority against the unfair prejudices of the majority. This the California Supreme Court failed to do today, in ruling that the majority has the right to deny equal marriage rights to same-sex couples. As California Supreme Court Justice Carolos Moreno wrote in dissent to today's decision to uphold Proposition 8, this "is not just a defeat for same-sex couples, but for any minority group that seeks the protection of the equal-protection clause of the California Constitution."

The California court had a precedent they could have followed to declare Proposition 8 unconstitutional, a 1996 US Supreme Court decision, Romer v. Evans, involving a constitutional amendment, Amendment 2, passed by a majority in Colorado, and intended to deny state and local government protection of "homosexuals, lesbians or bisexuals" from discrimination. As Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority in that decision, striking down Colorado Proposition 2: "A state cannot...deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws." That eloquent phrasing captured the essential meaning of equal protection under the law, and applied it to same-sex discrimination.

The California court today responded to the elegant truth of the Romer decision with the convoluted logic that the definition of marriage may be a right (which they had asserted in an earlier decision), but it could be made an exception to equal protection because it is not an substantive or fundamental right: "Proposition 8 does not by any means “repeal” or “strip” gay individuals or same-sex couples of the very significant substantive protections afforded by the state equal protection clause either with regard to the fundamental rights of privacy and due process or in any other area, again with the sole exception of access to the designation of “marriage” to describe their relationship."

Not a substantive or fundamental right? Tell that to the people on both sides of the Proposition 8 fight who spent tens of millions of dollars and uncounted hours of election campaigning.

So, now there will be protest, community organizing and a new statewide vote, likely in 2010. Eventually, same sex marriage will be an unquestioned right, as obvious to the fair-minded as interracial marriage.

But, in the meantime, we protest.

Protests

Click here to find protests of the California Supreme Court decision in your area, or click here to read about how have a text message about local protests sent directly to your phone.

Background

On Tuesday, May 26, the California Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which bans same sex marriage in California.

"Gross National Happiness"--How Bhutan Has Formulated an Alternative to GNP/GDP

Today's New York Times carries a fascinating story about how the country of Bhutan has formulated an alternative to GNP/GDP for calculating its national wealth and well-being. It is called "gross national happiness (GNH)." Unlike GDP, GNH takes into account non-economic factors in its calculation of societal health, including "psychological well-being, ecology, health, education, culture, living standards, time use, community vitality and good governance."

G20 April 1st Action Day
Indymedia London provides reports direct from the streets of London as activists put forward "Put People First" agenda on the eve of the G20 Summit.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Obama and the Dawn of Transformational Politics

There’s a healing ritual in Bali where people who have been wounded, either physically or spiritually, go back to the place where they were wounded, and bring back into themselves the spirits that left them when the wound occurred. A lot of us, myself included, have felt a particular kind of wound over the last the last eight years, especially since September 11 and everything that followed it: the war in Iraq, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, rendition, torture, domestic spying. Those policies collectively changed both the perception and the reality of what America is, and what the world can be.

So, the inauguration of Barack Obama is not only a chance for us to celebrate a change in all those policies, but also a chance to heal a deep wound about what it means to be an American citizen, and a citizen of the world.

But, even more than that, I think that what Barack Obama represents is a shift from progressive, liberal politics to "transformational politics," a phrase that has now entered our political vocabulary. Transformational politics is different from liberal or progressive politics in that it assumes a progressive direction, but it adds one more element: an engaged citizenry.

It was Obama’s campaign strategy and his intention for his presidency to transform the way people understand their role in a democracy. More than 280,000 people created accounts on barackobama.com; they created 6,500 grassroots volunteer groups; and they submitted 15,000 policy ideas. His official technology policy says that he will “involve the public in the work of (government), not simply by soliciting opinions, but by tapping into the vast and distributed expertise of the American citizenry to help government make more informed decisions.”

So, what we want to celebrate is not just the election of the first black president, which would certainly be enough by itself. What we want to celebrate is the election of this president, and the potential for citizen empowerment and service that he represents. Our job as transformative actors is to find ways to participate in that process, not just to criticize or correct the administration when it does something we disagree with, as it inevitably will. Our job as transformative actors is to be in dialogue with this administration, and to keep and hold open and express our vision for this new period. If we leave Obama out there on his own, if we don’t continue to participate in the movement that elected him, he won’t be able to be the leader he can be.

So, we need to see this moment not as an external event in history that we are witnesses to, but history that we are participants in. That will be the healing that we need, and that will be change worth hoping for.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

A Song Around the World: "Stand by Me"

"Playing for Change" is a documentary film and social movement aimed at connecting people through music. "Stand by Me," below, is the first individual release of one of the film's "songs around the world," featuring an ensemble of musicians from Africa, Europe, Asia,, and the Americas, adding their parts as the music video unfolds. For more, check out the Playing for Change website.

In 1948, thirteen years before the first human cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, orbited the Earth, Sir Fred Hoyle wrote prophetically of one of the as-yet unforeseen impacts of space exploration: "[O]nce a photograph of the Earth, taken from the outside, is available...a new idea as powerful as any in history will let loose." On December 24, 1968, that dream was realized, when Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, in orbit around the moon, took the photograph now widely known as "Earthrise."

Here, finally, was undeniable proof of the assertion of seers, sages, and prophets throughout the ages, that humanity is one family whose home is this planet. Many credit the image for inspiring the rise of the environmental movement, and the first Earth Day in 1970.

But, the wider enduring impact of the image will be that it serves as a counterpoint to all social, religious, political, cultural, and economic worldviews that are based on dividing humanity, and all living beings on Earth. It is an image that tells us that those who would divide the world are the naive ones, and that those who are often called utopian or unreasonably idealistic for reaching out for world peace and social justice are in fact advancing the most realistic and practical social and political vision.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Prop 8--The Musical

This is pretty amazing: a three-minute musical that sums up everything about Proposition 8 in the aftermath of the Obama election--and even solves the economic crisis. Conceived by Marc Shalman, and starring Jack Black (as Jesus), John C. Reilly, Margaret Cho, Kathy Najimy, Neil Patrick Harris, and a cast of thousands.

April 8, 2008-November 15, 2008International Protest Against California Proposition 8Marks New Phase in American Civil Rights Movement
National Protest This Saturday Against Proposition 8
No on 8: "Discrimination"
In One Week
No on Prop 8
Global Priorities: Feeding Markets, Starving the Hungry
The Liberation of Tibet as the Web 2.0 Version of the Fall of Apartheid
Happy 90th Birthday, Nelson Mandela
The Fierce Urgency of Now
Protests Follow Olympic Torch Around the World

June 9, 2007-February 21, 2008No, You Can't--No Se Puede
Barack Obama for PresidentIraqi Teenagers Send Messages of Peace in a BottleNews from Burma Inside the BlackoutA World of Support for Burma's Saffron Revolution "I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free / One Love"Birthday Greetings: Some Favorites A Movement of Movements:
First US Social Forum a Historic EventUS Social Forum: June 27 - July 1, Atlanta, Georgia Take Action Against Hate CrimesG8 Comes Up Short

November 8, 2006-May 12, 2007Mother's Day for Peace A Bit of Wishful Thinking: George Bush Sings "Imagine"What We Protest For: A Soldier Returns Home Al Gore on our "Planetary Emergency"
A Call for Cease-Fire in Iraq
Thousands March Against the War in Iraq
World Social Forum Opens in Nairobi, Kenya
Impeach, Nancy, Impeach!
American Deemocracy Affirmedq

As of 2/20/11, Topia.net is on Facebook. Click on the "Like" button above to show your support and receive updates from the site on your Facebook News Feed. Go to Topia.net on Facebook to see other user comments, and add your own comments and links to articles, websites, blogs, organizations, and Facebook and Twitter pages on the growing global civil society movement for peace, social justice, human rights, democracy, green alternatives, interspirituality, and universal compassion.

Links to Another World:
Voices You May Not Have Heard

170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting

Public broadcasting in the United States is under threat of the elimination of funding by tne new U.S. Congress. To send a message of support for public broadcasting to your Member of Congress, click here or on the button below, representing the 170 million Americans who utllize public media each year.

The World Social Forum is an open meeting place where social movements, networks, NGOs and other civil society organizations....characterized by plurality and diversity, is non-confessional, non-governmental and non-party. It proposes to facilitate decentralized coordination and networking among organizations engaged in concrete action towards building another world, at any level from the local to the international, but it does not intend to be a body representing world civil society. The World Social Forum is not a group nor an organization.

Freecycle Network

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,885 groups with 7,017,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free.

Global Zero: A Step Toward Global Disarmament

In recent months, the threat of proliferation and nuclear terrorism has led to a growing chorus of leaders calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Global Zero, supports this endeavor by combining high-level policy work with global public outreach to achieve a comprehensive agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons worldwide through phased and verified reductions.

The Resist Network:Creating a Documentary Film on Global Change

Resist is a documentary film-in-the-making about economic and social injustice around the world and the people who are challenging it. Director Marc Silver, who has produced documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4 in Britain, has enlisted actor Gael Garcia Bernal to interview global change activists, including Noam Chomsky (see below), Naomi Klein and John Berger.

One of the most innovative aspects of the project is that Silver has created an online forum, the Resist Network, that will inform the production itself. Participation in the Resist Network is an opportunity to help shape both the documentary and the movement it describes.

Clip from Resist interview with Noam Chomsky: "The Answer is in You"The Sustainable Living Roadshow
Begun in Spring 2007, the Sustainable Living Roadshow (SLR) is comprised of experienced educators, activists and entertainers who tour university campuses and community events throughout the United States and internationally in a fleet of non-petroleum based renewable fuel vehicles. Theys set up off-the-grid, zero-waste experiential learning villages, featuring workshops, speakers, sustainability exhibits and entertainment which demonstrate practical solutions to social and environmental issues created by our modern industrial society.
Video Source: Sustainable Living Roadshow
Kiva: Loans That Change Lives
As profiled recently in the New York TimesandPBS's Frontline World, Kiva is an organization that lets you connect with, and loan money to, unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence.

Nonviolent Regime Change Computer Game
A Force More Powerful is a computer game that teaches activists and leaders of nonviolent resistance and opposition movements how to fight real-world adversaries—dictators, military occupiers and corrupt rulers, using methods that have succeeded in actual conflicts—not with laser rays or AK47s, but with non-military strategies and nonviolent weapons.
Katrina Information Networkand Rebuild GreenThe Katrina Information Network and Rebuild Green provide social justice and environmental perspectives on the Katrina relief effort.

DarfurGenocide.orgThis
site's sole purpose is to try to save lives by helping
stop the genocide in Darfur. It empowers you to take smart,
strategic actions to compel those in power to act through
international petitions or local events. It provides access
to the best, most relevant and most up-to-date information
available. www.savedarfur.org is a similar website.
Peaceful Societies
Peaceful societies are contemporary groups of people who
effectively foster interpersonal harmony and who rarely
permit violence or warfare to interfere with their lives.
The Peaceful Societies website serves to introduce these
societies to students, peace activists, scholars and citizens
who are interested in the conditions that promote peacefulness.
It includes information on the beliefs of these peoples,
the ways they maintain their nonviolence, and the factors
that challenge their lifestyles.

Your
Global Rich List Position
This website provides a calculator that allows you to
determine your annual income relative to the rest of the
world. By entering your annual income, and clicking on
the calculator, it gives you the following read-out, with
specific dollar figures where the xxx's are: "You
are in the top xx% richest people in the world. There
are x,xxx,xxx,xxx people poorer than you. How do you feel
about that? A bit richer we hope. Please consider donating
just a small amount to help some of the poorest people
in the world."

Idealist.org and Opportunitynocs.org
Want to make a career of changing the world? Idealist.org
and Opportunitynocs.org provide thousands of prosocial job
listings, mostly in nonprofit organizations, according to
city/state/country and job type.

Better
World Handbook
The Better World Handbook is a guide for the average person
wanting to make a positive difference in the world. The
book provides hundreds of examples of practical, effective
actions you can take to make a positive difference in the
world. These actions are aimed at realizing the following
values: Economic Fairness; Comprehensive Peace; Ecological
Sustainability; Deep Democracy; Social Justice; Culture
of Simplicity; and Revitalized Community.